For now, Islamic State’s claim of responsibility is being met with a degree of skepticism.

“The Islamic State is an interesting terrorist group in the sense that it’s not fussy over claiming credit for attacks or accepting members into the group,” said Max Abrahms, a terrorism expert at Northeastern University in Boston and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. “This is why Islamic State appears to be everywhere, because it claims credit for any possible attack that could be connected to the group.”

Abrahms said the rush to claim responsibility pointed to the group’s overall weakness and lack of support in the U.S.

Voice of America